


Recurrence

by itsbeen20years



Category: Bakuten Shoot Beyblade, Beyblade
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Coffee Shops, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post-Break Up, Social Media
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:07:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21907240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsbeen20years/pseuds/itsbeen20years
Summary: They thought they had moved on from their relationship - until they met again by coincidence. /A seasonal fic leading up to NYE, three chapters, cozy sweaters, mutual pining, rumours, a coffee shop, eggnog and some more clichés.
Relationships: Hiwatari Kai/Yuri Ivanov | Tala Valkov
Comments: 15
Kudos: 24





	1. October

**Author's Note:**

> This story is set in London, but my English is a weird mix of BE and AE thanks to school and MTV. I just hope it's not too cringy and that there are not many mistakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beta reader worked her magic. Less mistakes now!

**Recurrence**

1 - October

The year slowly began to reach its end. It was October; the wind that came from the sea was cold.

Kai was in Brighton, selling his grandfather's company, or at least the parts of it that he didn't want to keep - which meant most of it. It had kept him busy for almost a year now, but slowly he was approaching the finish line. In Brighton, Soichiro, and therefore he, owned a few houses that he would now give to nonprofits as he had no use for them anyway. He enjoyed being away from London for a few days. It was nice to forget about his studies for a bit, even though he still had to deal with business. His weekly call with Takao took place nevertheless; it was close to impossible to cancel it, which was fine with him nevertheless. He wouldn't admit it, but he liked hearing the voice of one of his best friends on a regular basis, especially throughout the last year.

Today, Takao had told him that Mao was pregnant. He was happy for her and Rei, they had been trying for a while. It also was a nice reminder that some things, some relationships, just worked out. He hadn't been lucky on that matter in the recent past, but right now he was okay. Still, memories linger.

Takao didn't believe him, though. He had repeatedly asked him if he finally was dating again. No, he wasn't, wasn't planning to. How should he even do that with his schedule?

Yuriy, however, was seeing a model named Inés Alvarez for three months now. Kai knew her. She had worked with Yuriy for one of his projects a few years back. At times, their relationship was all over Kai's social media feed because she kept tagging the redhead in numerous snapshots. It didn't cause him pain, not anymore. He was okay with that, otherwise he would have blocked his ex-boyfriend a long time ago.

So whatever Takao might think, Kai was just fine.

He was fine until the evening of that particular day, when he was strolling through Brighton, looking for a place to eat before heading back to the hotel. It was dark already, so his gaze was immediately drawn to one of the few store windows that were lit. Coming closer, he realised it was not a shop or a café, but an art gallery. The room was empty, safe for some metallic hooks and cords that hung from the ceiling; in the back he could see picture frames leaning against the plain walls. He had to take a second look before he recognised one of the photographs that was facing him. It surprised him, seeing that one here; he knew it, basically had been present when it was taken.

Kai didn’t really think his next steps through. The sign on the door said the place was open, and he was just curious. What would one have to pay for Yuriy’s photos by now? Surely the value must have risen. His ex had done some rather nice editorials over the past year, basically had been all over the world, too. With that in mind, he pushed the entrance door open and found himself standing in the middle of the empty gallery. There was the light sound of a bell when the door fell shut again, but nobody came. It seemed like people were talking further in the back. Maybe they had not heard him. Kai decided not to make himself known just now. Instead he started to look around.

The gallerist seemed to be a fan of Yuriy’s work. All the pictures where his, as Kai noticed while slowly making his way across the room. He didn’t dare touching anything, but he put two and two together. It seemed like he busted in while they were still figuring out the order in which they would put the pictures on the walls. Everything was unfinished, there was dust and some paper on the floor, probably from the packaging.

Then he noticed that the voices were coming closer. Maybe whoever was talking back there had finally become aware of him. There was the sound of footsteps approaching.

“I think we will be done tomorrow afternoon… Oh, I’m so sorry, Sir, I didn’t hear you coming in.” That sounded like an old man.

Kai turned around; he didn’t want to seem rude. “No, I am sorry, I didn’t want to -” He interrupted himself when he saw who was standing next to the white-haired gallerist.

Yuriy probably needed a second to recognise him. Kai was confused, too. Then the redhead smiled widely. “Kai! What a coincidence!” He came closer and Kai had to fight the urge to take a few steps back. “I’m really sorry”, he repeated, “It was just… I just saw your pictures and got curious.” His mouth felt dry for some reason as he took a closer look at him. Yuriy wore fitted jeans, a dark blue knitted sweater and a coat, a scarf poking out of his pocket. It was shockingly familiar to feel his presence again instead of just seeing him online.

“How are you?”, Yuriy asked.

For a glimpse, Kai struggled for words. “Good”, he finally said, “I’m selling the company. You?”

Yuriy vaguely gestured to their surroundings. “Well, I just rented this place to open a little gallery of sorts. It’s cheaper than London - and I’m hoping for rich tourists”, he added and gave him a wink. Kai tried to smile. “Seems like it worked. I’m here.” Yuriy laughed, it was his rather quiet, short laugh, more like a chuckle, that Kai almost had forgotten.

“How long are you staying in Brighton?”

“Just until tomorrow”, Kai said, “I have to go back to uni. Are you going back soon?”

Yuriy seemed surprised and Kai remembered that his ex didn’t know he had started his Master programme.

The redhead put his hands in his pockets and just said: “I’m staying until Tuesday. We’re having a small vernissage.”

“Well, in that case I don’t want to disturb you any longer. I’m sure you still have some work to do here.”

Yuriy opened his mouth, but all he said was: “Okay”, and Kai turned around to leave. Something drove him towards the exit and he had to force himself not to act like he was fleeing. As he touched the doorknob, Yuriy’s voice called him back once more. “It was good to see you.”

“Yeah. You, too.”

Then he left, not noticing that Yuriy was looking after him for quite a few seconds until the gallerist coughed slightly to get back his attention.

Seeing Yuriy again had a bigger impact on Kai than he expected. He couldn’t stop thinking about their encounter for days, even after his return to the capital.

And there he thought he was over him.

Their breakup hadn’t been overly dramatic. Nevertheless it had been hard to establish new daily routines without Yuriry. They never had lived together - a fact that Kai was glad about now - each had their own circle of friends and they both had gone out on their own on a regular basis. Still it had been strange not to be with him most of the time. Max, Rei, and Takao all tried to cheer him up, even offered to visit him, but somehow that never happened. Kai wasn’t mad about it; instead, he did the same thing as usual and dealt with his heartbreak on his own - except for when Takao called, of course. That had helped, but it hadn’t been enough.

The first three months had passed and he was barely functioning: finishing his Bachelor studies, working on the side, moving out of the student dorm into his own flat. There he had sat one night, surrounded by not-yet empty boxes, and had scrolled through his social media feed. A photo of Yuriy and another person Kai didn’t know had appeared: they were putting an arm around the redhead. He looked happy in that picture. Kai, however, had started crying and was unable to stop for nearly an hour.

After that, he slowly went back to normal, started going out again, even said yes when he was asked out. His dates never lasted longer than a few weeks, though. It was the same with Yuriy, at least until he started dating Inés. Kai didn’t know whether his ex knew what was going on in his life, or if Yuriy even looked at his posts. They never reacted to whatever the other was putting out there. Until now, that had been perfectly fine with Kai. But during the past days he began noticing that he still missed Yuriy. He did not necessarily miss him as a lover, more as a friend.

He caught himself staring at his phone more often, as if he was waiting for something that would never come. People usually didn’t text him because he never answered. Whenever he unlocked the screen, however, his fingers were tingling with anticipation, and he felt disappointed every time the notification bar was empty. Maybe, he thought, it was his task to make the first step.

He was standing in the middle of the supermarket, right next to the freezers, when he threw all cautions to the wind. Instead of putting his phone away as he had done until now, he opened the messenger. Looking at the chat with Yuriy, he winced: he had never deleted their last messages, which were from more than one year ago. They had talked about returning the keys they possessed from each others places. Kai briefly shook his head, as if to banish the memories, and started typing.

>How was the vernissage?< That was all.

The answer came too quickly. At the checkout, he glanced at his phone again, and there it was: >Good, I already sold a few pictures :) <

>Congratulations<, Kai replied, >Are you back to London, yet?<

>Yes, for a few days now, actually.<

And then: >I’m going to stay for a while. Got a few commissions coming up.<

Kai didn’t really know how to respond. God, he was bad at texting. So he just typed: >Sounds good.<

After that, his phone remained silent.

Yuriy was surprised about Kai’s message. Admittedly, he had waited for a text or something, even picked up his own phone and started typing but then ended up doing nothing. He just didn’t know if Kai wanted to talk to him again, or if he even wanted it himself.

When they met, the constant flow of Yuriy’s thoughts about appointments, commissions, and, yes, private dates, had come to a sudden hold. It had yet to pick up its normal pace again. At first, he couldn’t believe it was really Kai who was standing in front of him, even though his ex hadn’t changed much. He didn’t remember what he was wearing that day - it was a dark jacket, right? Kai’s eyes, however, he remembered. It had hurt him, seeing that expression on his face again: searching, cautious, but also dismissive. Not that long ago, Yuriy had been one of the few people that Kai gave up that look for.

On the same day that Kai finally texted him, Inés stood him up. Her message came around lunch: >I’m going to stay in Oslo a bit longer, sorry, I’ll make up for it, XO< As usual he didn’t bother answering right away. Yes, they were dating for a few months now, but actually they only saw each other once every two weeks or so. It was okay for Yuriy; they both were busy with work. Travelling so much was probably also a reason why they were somewhat exclusive - there just wasn’t enough time for anything on the side. He liked seeing Inés but for him it wasn’t serious; they never talked about things like that.

A few hours later Yuriy was sitting in his favorite coffee shop and worked through his emails. Now and then he scrolled through the social media timeline on his phone. Inés had posted some selfies at work in Oslo. She looked a bit silly in the dresses, but she was professional enough to act like the stuff was haute couture. Yuriy was about to give a like to one of the photos when Kai’s message popped up. His thumb hovered over the display for a second, then he grinned.

Their first conversation had ended in awkwardness, but Yuriy didn’t solely blame Kai on that. He himself didn’t communicate much if it wasn’t for work. Yes, Boris called ever so often, and everytime that happened they actually ended up sitting in their respective kitchens, getting tipsy on vodka shots to loosen their tongues. It worked, somehow.

In the evening, he found himself alone as usual, eating some take-out while sitting at the kitchen table. He was bored. On normal days, this would be the time to brainstorm new concepts or do some editing, but today he felt rather uninspired, so he just finished early. Apparently his brain needed a break.

His phone was laying right next to him on the table. He eyed it while eating. Then he just grabbed it and unlocked the screen. The chat with Kai was at the top of his list; before he could decide against it, he started typing: >Btw, how was business in Brighton?< Then he put his phone away. It was Friday night; other people probably had more adventurous plans than him.

His phone vibrated, the display showing a message from Kai. With another buzz, a second one followed.

>Quick and easy, I’m glad it went so well.

How are you?<

Yuriy leaned back and picked up his phone again. For a moment he just sat there, not knowing what to answer. Finally, he typed a few words and pushed send. Instead of locking the display after that, he waited. Sure enough, the blinking icon that showed that Kai was texting back appeared.

Some time later Yuriy walked over to the living room and put on the tv. He wasn’t paying attention, though, because his eyes were glued to his phone’s display. This time, their chat lasted for quite a while, the messages shooting back and forth, becoming more and more informal. Sometimes, Yuriy couldn’t help but smile.

It seemed like the spell that had lasted for more than a year was broken thereafter. As October ticked away, Yuriy and Kai kept on texting each other about everything and nothing.

>Did you know Mao is pregnant?<, Kai asked on a Monday.

>Sergeij and Natalia are coming to London in January<, Yuriy told him on a Wednesday.

>Is Boris still unbearable?<

>He isn’t acting more adult, if that is what you’re asking.<

>So one of my customers just broke her leg. We had to do a nude shot with her wearing a cast.<

>You really should specialise on that :D<

>Yeah, maybe I can fill a market niche!<

Sometimes they didn’t hear from each other for half a day or so, but at some point one of them always continued their conversation. During the first two weeks Kai told Yuriy that Soichiro died shortly after they had broken up, how he went back to Japan for a while to deal with everything, and how he tried to get rid of Hiwatari Enterprises since then while at the same time completing his studies. Yuriy on the other hand had travelled the world for various projects and had been the wedding photographer of quite a number of celebrities and members of British aristocracy (Johnny McGregor’s cousin for example; he found that out when running into the Gladiator of Glasgow himself on said occasion). He had stopped doing the weddings, though, as he only had agreed to that to make a quick coin.

October came to and end, and it was time for Halloween. Contrary to his habits, Kai attended a party. It was anti-costume, so he was fine with going out. Before he left the house, he took a few selfies, because why not. He looked damn good in that shirt!

At the party, he found some philosophy students and listened to their quarrel about Marxist theories while slowly getting more and more tipsy. At some point, he got up to go to the bathroom, where he took a look in the mirror. He gave himself a mental pet on the back for his outfit tonight. It was really too good for just sitting around and drinking. Until now he hadn’t seen anyone that would spark his interest. With his body slightly swaying from side to side - he really should call it a night soon - he pulled out his phone and changed his Facebook profile picture with a few clicks. At least he wouldn’t be the only one now to admire his looks.

The next morning, Kai woke up with a headache. He glanced at his phone to find out what time it was when he realised he had quite a few notifications. Some thirty people had liked his new profile picture, and he was mildly surprised about that. In the Bladebreaker’s group chat, it was big news.

>Hide your kids, hide your wives, and hide your husbands - Kai is ready to roll, y’all!<

>Max, that is SO wrong!!<

>Shut up, Rei, Kai will get the meme! Right, Kai?<

Kai snorted and continued scrolling through his timeline. Mathilda and Giulia were having brunch in Madrid. Olivier posted pictures of the costumes he was doing for his shows as Olivia Emerald. Michael and Eddie were at a baseball game.

Then a new message popped up: it was from Takao. >Hiromi said that Yuriy liked your profile picture. Are you guys talking again??<

Kai needed a few seconds to get the full meaning of that. Frowning, he switched to his picture again, and behold, Takao was right. That was all, though; it was just a like.

>Tell Hiromi to stop stalking me<, he texted back, and then, after some hesitation: >And yes, we are. You can keep that a secret for now, right?<

Takao’s answer was a simple > D: !!!!!<, and Kai didn’t really know what to make of that.


	2. November

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is without beta.  
> Thanks to everyone who has been reading and commenting the first chapter, also many thanks for your kudos!  
> Unfortunately, this fic won't end today (as in: in time for NYE), as I was lazy during the past week. Instead, the last chapter will be published next year :)

2 - November

_> So my professor is sick and nobody thought about sending me an email. Great_.<

Yuriy snorted at Kai’s message. He was sitting in the coffee shop again, because somehow it was easier for him to concentrate with the slight buzzing of people around. Today, however, there was not much left to do and he was starting to get bored. So much for cutting back on working hours; he never thought about what to do in his newly emerged freetime.

Rather spontaneously he texted back: _I am nearby. Wanna join me for a coffee?_

Some 15 minutes later Kai was there. He was wearing a coat - one that Yuriy had seen on him before; in fact, the sight of Kai startled him a bit because it was so familiar - and a thick scarf that hid the lower half of his face. It took a while for him to make his way through the crowded room, but finally he was standing in front of Yuriy. 

Yuriy had to fight the urge to give him a hug. He blamed their frequent chats, because it made him feel like they never had been on a break, at least as friends. Kai took off his coat and suddenly Yuriy noticed his scent - he still used the same fragrance.

“I need something warm”, Kai said, “Do you want another drink?”

Yuriy picked up his empty cup. “I’m coming with you.”

They queued up with the other people, most of them just getting a coffee-to-go after lunch. Both of them were a bit hesitant to start a conversation, but whenever their eyes met they smiled at each other. They each paid for their own drink, then they went back to Yuriy’s table at the window. Outside, people were going up and down the street, their breaths visible in the cold air, even though the sun was shining. The trees were almost bare.

“So tell me about that seminar you’re missing now”, Yuriy started.

Kai put his hands around his cup to warm his still numb fingers. “It’s Old Church Slavonic.”

“I didn’t know Old Church Slavonic was part of the MBA.”

“It’s not. I additionally chose Slavonic studies to compensate for all the business stuff.” 

“To compensate… I see.” Yuriy grinned; it suited Kai to enrol in more than one field of study. He never met with Soichiro’s wishes to study law; instead he had started with politics and economics. Yuriy had asked him why he hadn’t chosen history, but Kai always saw that as a hobby he didn’t want to ruin for himself by taking it too seriously.

Kai rolled his eyes at Yuriy’s expression. “So what are you doing to relax? Yoga?”

“Well, I find weddings pretty relaxing after a few months of travelling around for editorials…”

“So you’re still always busy.”

Yuriy looked away. “It’s not that bad anymore. I’m getting paid better for the commissions now, and there are a few magazines that basically take everything I offer them. And, well… I’m thinking about buying my own space.”

“You mean… a house?” Kai’s voice rose with surprise. Inés came to his mind - did Yuriy want to settle down with her?

The answer proved him wrong: “I want my own studio. It’s cheaper in the long run. Also, I want to specialise in portraits a bit more, so it’s not the worst idea to have my own space. Right now I’m renting, and that’s getting more and more expensive.”

Kai crossed his arms, his mind switching to business mode. “Hm. Buying is probably not the worst idea right now, with the crisis and everything. I bet you can make a bargain if you’re smart, which you are. I’m just not sure if real estate is the best kind of investment.”

“Ha, you know best, right? You’re the one selling houses right now.”

“I’m not doing it for profit, I just want to get rid of all this stuff.”

Yuriy shook his head. “Typical. Hey, you don’t happen to own a house in London that I can have?”

“No. I mean, yes, I own real estate in London, but that’s the headquarters in the Docklands, so I can’t give it away.” Kai hesitated, then he smirked. “But I can give you a loan, if you are willing to be financially dependent on me.”

Yuriy shrugged. “If you’re serious, I’ll think about it. I’ll rather be dependent on you instead of a bank right now.”

“Deal.” Kai’s eyebrows went up as he shot a mischievous glance at Yuriy. He could be witty, it mostly showed in little remarks or barely noticeable facial expressions; Yuriy knew what to look for, and he felt something fuzzy and warm building up inside as he watched Kai. They couldn’t look each other in the eye for more than a second, but they enjoyed the company nevertheless. It was easy to continue from where they started a few weeks back with their texts.

“So, do you come here often?”, Kai asked, “I mean, I had coffee here before, uni is just around the corner.”

“Well, yes, actually. I can walk from home, and the studio isn’t too far away, either. I’m basically working here every Thursday - funny that we haven’t met here before, isn’t it?”

“Ah, I was working at the headquarters on Thursdays last semester. But now that the new executive board has taken over, I just have to get rid of all the redundant parts of the company. Funnily enough, I can do that from home.”

Yuriy nodded and swayed his cup to catch all the milk foam that stuck to the porcelain with the rest of his coffee. Then he looked up to muster Kai, who was watching the people outside. His sweater, Yuriy noticed, was a bit too large. After their sports careers had ended, Kai had tried to keep up with his old training habits, but quickly had to accept that his schedule didn’t allow for spending hours and hours at the gym, so he had gotten slimmer over the years. Yuriy still found him attractive; he would never deny that.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying each other’s presence, until Kai stirred, glancing at his watch. “Alright. I have to go to the library, so…”

“Okay”, Yuriy said and got up with Kai to say good-bye. Kai put on his coat and they exchanged an awkward look, however, they both were pleased that they had met up today.

Kai spoke first. “It was nice seeing you again.”

“Yeah…” Yuriy pulled himself together. “Maybe we can repeat that sometime?”

“Hn. Thursday?”

He shrugged tentatively. “Sure, why not?”

Having a coffee together on Thursdays became a regular thing for them. They met in the afternoon, when they were done with most of their work and uni, and spend a few hours together. They talked more or less constantly via text messages, too, but avoided coming too close to discussing their relationship or even the breakup.

During the last days of November, the Christmas lights were set up everywhere and it wouldn’t be long until Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park opened. In the coffeeshop there was now Christmas Jazz added to the background noise, and it soon became familiar. Yuriy and Kai both didn’t grow up with a lot of holiday traditions, so they mostly ignored all the hassle and just enjoyed the vibes. For Yuriy, the end of the year meant more requests for work, but he only took the ones that he deemed fitting; moreover, he never booked out Thursday afternoons.

“Did Inés break up with you?”

The question hit him unprepared; Yuriy was standing in his kitchen stirring his food while talking to Boris on the phone. “What gives you that idea?”

“Ivan follows her on Instagram, and apparently there is a new guy in all of her recent posts.”

Now that he mentioned, Yuriy really hadn’t heard from her in a while.

“You know, we’ve never been together for real in the first place”, he explained, “It is what it is. I think she might’ve been a bit unhappy.”

“But why? Wasn’t it...satisfying for her?”

Yuriy rolled his eyes, he knew exactly what Boris was hinting at. Of course it hadn’t been satisfying for her, their sex life had barely been existent. Yuriy blamed himself for that: To him, sex wasn’t as important as for other people. He liked touching the people he was into, and being touched as well, but for him it lacked almost all erotic implications. Yes, there was the occasional urge for satisfaction, too, but that also didn’t necessarily have anything to do with a significant other. Sex was something he did for the person he liked, nothing he needed for himself. With his mind constantly occupied with work, he often even saw it as another task to check off his list. That always led to arguments, even though he tried to explain it to his dates early on; ever so often it was a reason to break up.

He had fought with Kai about that, too. Contrary to what most people probably thought, their sex life hadn’t been overly adventurous, but they always made sure to spend enough time on that. There were many more reasons why they broke up - or at least Yuriy hoped there were. He wasn’t always so sure about that.

It had taken a few months for Yuriy to get over Kai, he hadn’t really taken the time to make up his mind after their break up. Instead, grief came over him in the most inappropriate situations. To make money, he had agreed to be the wedding photographer of some kind of celebrity. That one commission had led to a string of other wedding photoshoots, which paid well but were the last thing he needed at that time. Still, it helped him immensely to make a name for himself, and he wouldn’t be where he was now hadn’t he agreed to do this.

“You still there?”, Boris asked and Yuriy made a grumbling noise.

“You know, Inés and me - that wasn’t serious”, he said. “I’m totally fine with her dating someone else now. So you guys can stop stalking her.”

His best friend sighed. “That’s not how we’ll get you back into a relationship, Yura.”

“Look, now they’re putting pictures on our coffee.” Yuriy sat down on the sofa next to Kai and handed him a cup. Indeed, there was a star made of cinnamon on top of the milk foam. Kai snorted and pulled out his phone. “Hold that, I have to take a picture. That’s so my aesthetic.”

“Are you going to put that on Instagram?” Amused, Yuriy did as Kai told.

“I don’t have that, just Facebook. I’m putting in a hashtag anyways - how about merrychristmasfuckers?”

“It’s perfect.” He patiently waited for Kai to take the picture before he leaned back and put an elbow on the backrest, turning his body towards the other. His arm almost touched Kai’s shoulder. “So. Any plans for the weekend?”

“Nothing, really.” Kai finished posting and took a sip from his cup. “Write papers. Sleep. Watch Sherlock.”

“Wait, you’ve never seen Sherlock?”

“Not the second season, a friend of mine downloaded it somewhere and gave it to me. Judging from your reaction, you already know it?”

Yuriy nodded. “Yeah, I watched it right when it was aired.” It had been a perfect distraction from their breakup. “The first season was better, though, as usual. You have to tell me how you liked it when you’re done.”

“Don’t you dare give me any spoilers!” Kai looked at him threatening, but Yuriy didn’t even flinch. Instead, he held up one hand and put the other on his chest theatrically. “I solemnly swear I am up to no good.”

“Mischief managed”, Kai replied.

They ended up leaving the Café at the same time, which happened pretty seldomly. Outside they almost got run over by pedestrians already in a hurry to do their Christmas shopping.

“Are you taking the underground?”, Yuriy asked and Kai nodded. His stop was not far away, as was Yuriy’s flat, but they would head into opposite directions.

“Alright”, the redhead said, “See you next week?”

“Until next Thursday, then.” Kai smiled.

Despite having said good-bye, they remained as they were. Kai looked at Yuriy and hesitated for a second. “Ah, what the hell!”, he exclaimed and hugged Yuriy, who was too surprised to not hug him back instinctively. His eyes fell shut for a moment as he pulled Kai closer. It was just so familiar.

_> Did you see what happened with you post?<_

Kai had just finished the second episode of Sherlock when he received Yuriy’s message. Frowning, he typed an answer: > _What do you mean, what happened? <_

_> You never check your notifications, are you?<_

Well that wasn’t necessarily true, but Kai had indeed ignored the little icon in the top corner of his display for a while. Yuriy wasn’t helping at all, so he switched to Facebook, his eyes widened slightly as he read through the comments on his picture from the coffeeshop the other day. The first ones were still pretty innocent, just a few laughs about the hashtag he invented, but then it got a little out of hand.

It was Giulia Fernandez who had started it all: > _Looks like your date has very beautiful hands, @Kai. <_

Some other people reacted to that, and because Kai never answered to any of them, it blew up a bit.

Olivier: > _You’re right, @Giulia! Who is your mysterious sweetheart, @Kai? <_

Mao: > _Oooh, congratulations! Tell us more, so we can welcome them to the family :) <_

Max: > _WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL UUUUUSSSS??? :( <_

Even Sergeij must have had a good day: > _A shame we don’t live together anymore, I would love to have another tribunal. <_ (A few years back he was living with the Russian team, and when Yuriy brought him home first he had to endure a throughout interrogation called the “tribunal”. Apparently, it took place whenever one of them introduced a significant other.)

He sighed, it was too late now to make things right. He could tell them it wasn’t a date and cause even more rumours. And if he told them he was meeting up with Yuriy, and on a regular basis… Takao’s Galaxy Storm was a breeze compared to what would happen then, to say the least. Their breakup hadn’t been in public or even online, but all former bladers eventually knew what had happened, probably thanks to everyone talking to each other, them being like one huge family and whatnot. It was big news, because apart from Rei and Mao, Kai and Yuriy had been together the longest.

Kai re-opened the chat with Yuriy, ignoring the action that was taking place on the TV screen. > _Even Seryoga didn’t recognise you. Should I say something? <_

_> Do what you want, it’s your post.<_

_> Meh. Too much work.<_

_> :D <_

Kai smirked and looked back at the TV. He must’ve missed a key scene because suddenly the plot seemed all over the place.

His phone lit up again. _I just got a request for next Thursday that I would really like to take. >Do you mind meeting me on Tuesday instead?<_

_> I have to be in uni until six on Tuesdays. What do you have in mind?<_

_> I don’t know yet, tbh. What about taking a walk in the park? I can pick you up.<_

Eventually, Kai said yes and told him where he could find him. It wasn’t the first time Yuriy picked him up from uni, so he probably remembered where he had to go.

When Kai left the university building, he spotted Yuriy immediately. It was almost like a déjà vu, seeing him waiting like that. They hugged again, which now felt less awkward than last time.

“Can we go to a Christmas market or something?”, Kai asked, and he knew he did not sound like himself. “I just had a fight with one of my professors, and of course she won. I need a drink now, preferably cheap, sweet, and boozy.”

Yuriy didn’t ask any further questions, instead he led him right to the next Christmas market, where they found some eggnog and a tiny table a few metres away from the crowds.

“Do you want to talk about it?”, Yuriy asked when they finally settled.

Kai shook his head. “No, it doesn’t matter anyway. How about you tell me about your day?”

“Oh, it was just a normal day, you know. Let’s see… a model who I hired stood me up last minute because she got a better offer. One of the magazines I’m working with took only eight instead of the twelve shots they promised, because they had to make room for another article. Oh, and Rick Anderson found out about my secret folder with the tournament photos just now.”

“Hold on, you mean the folder that Takao ‘accidentally’ shared with almost everybody years ago? Which tournament was that, the one of 2005?”

“Exactly. Nobody ever bothered to divulge the secret to Rick. Apparently Max finally tripped his tongue a few days back, and now Rick sent me a bloody novel of a message as if it was all my fault. Also, he made fun of my hair and choice of clothes.”

“Which, as we know, were the worst”, Kai said and took another sip. Yuriy opened his mouth to retaliate; he stopped short because what he actually wanted to say was “Well, it didn’t keep you from falling in love with me.” It was not the right time for remarks like that. Instead, he just smiled and subtly changed topics: “So, should we continue your photo series of mysterious guy holding drinks?”

Kai grimaced. “To be honest, I think I’ve wrecked enough havoc the first time. But I’ll gladly be your hand model if you want me to.”

“Sure, my many fans should know I’m hanging out at the Christmas market like normal people.” Yuriy took a snapshot of their sticky mugs. “I need a hashtag, though, how about deathbyeggnog… By the way, how do you like Sherlock?” If that sudden change of topics again irritated Kai, Yuriy didn’t notice; he was still occupied with his phone while posting the picture. He already began to feel a bit tipsy because he was drinking on an empty stomach.

“Ah, I’m not done yet, I’m missing the last episode”, Kai admitted.

“What? But the finale is the best part!” Yuriy raised his arm and pointed somewhere behind Kai with his phone. “Go home and watch it, now! I won’t talk to you before you do it!”

“Okay, let’s go then!”, Kai said loudly. Yuriy looked at him dumbfounded, but Kai didn’t want to back down now. What the hell, they were friends, it was normal to hang out at home! “Come on, we’ll watch it together. It’ll be fun!”

Eventually, Yuriy ended up visiting Kai’s new place that night. He looked around curiously, while Kai went to the kitchenette. “Make yourself at home, I think I have wine somewhere…”

It was a one-room apartment, though a pretty modern one with big windows and a recess for the bed. The furnishing was sparse but tasteful, typically Kai. Yuriy sat down on the sofa that was standing in the middle of the room and facing a pretty big flat screen TV. Kai came back with two glasses and a wine bottle and plopped down next to him. “Alright, let’s do this!”

Yuriy did not make it through the episode. The wine made his limbs feel heavy; it had been a long day after all. Moreover, he was so damn comfortable in Kai’s presence. That was unusual; he didn’t trust people enough to let himself go like that. Only Boris, Sergeij, and Ivan were the exceptions from that rule, and Kai used to be, too, even before they got together. Apparently, that never had changed. He felt his eyelids drooping and didn’t have enough energy to open them again.

Kai only noticed that Yuriy was asleep when the end credits started to roll and he turned towards him to make a comment. For a second he just stared: Yuriy never moved much while sleeping. He had put his head on the armrest and his legs slightly curled in. Kai could barely hear him breathing. He thought about waking him up but quickly decided against it; instead, he went to fetch a blanket.

The next morning Yuriy woke up with a headache and a stiff neck. Slowly he sat up and put his hands on his temples.

“Well, good morning to you, Sir.”

He opened his eyes: Kai was leaning on the backrest, looking down at him. His hair was a mess and he seemed a bit tired from their night-out as well.   
“Good morning”, Yuriy mumbled. “Uh. Sorry for falling asleep. I’m sure you didn’t mean that when you said make yourself at home.”

“Oh, in that case I hope you have a real bed at your place and don’t have to sleep on the couch. Coffee?”

Yuriy rubbed his face. “Yes please.” Then he watched as Kai went back to the kitchenette. He was only wearing underwear and a shirt. That sight confused Yuriy, because it brought back memories of the two of them having lazy Sunday breakfasts. He turned away and glanced at his phone. Not only was it pretty late, his notifications had gone through the roof over night. “My god, I got twenty comments and five messages, all because of that photo I posted yesterday.”

“Don’t people have things to do?” Kai handed him a cup and sat down next to him, pulling his legs up on the couch.

Yuriy scrolled through the comments. “They thought you were a woman, but apparently somebody took a closer look eventually. Nobody is making the connection, though.” He quickly messaged Boris back but avoided mentioning Kai - it only would make things unnecessarily complicated.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Yuriy took a shy look around, taking in his surroundings. Here and there he saw things that he remembered from when Kai had lived in the dorm. A picture, a small bookshelf. Dranzer was lying in a glass cabinet. He repressed a wistful sigh; all that brought back too many memories. Coming to another country hadn’t been easy for them, but as soon as their papers had been in order they could manage the rest. Their relationship had endured through all the ups and downs, but broke away as soon as they got used to their new lives. How ironic.

His thoughts then drifted away to Inés and how she just opted for another person when he couldn’t give her what she needed. Quick and easy. He even felt relieve because it hadn’t been complicated at all. On the other hand, this lack of commitment somehow felt wrong. With Kai, it had been different; but then again it was always different with him.

“Hey, can I ask you something?”, Yuriy started rather spontaneously.

Kai just looked at him questionly.

“Uhm, so when we broke up… Was sex a reason for you to do it?”

Kai took a moment to think about his answer. “Yes, it was”, he finally said. “But it was not the main reason. I mean, you know I like sex. When it comes to relationships, it is important to me...”

“I see...”

“Don’t get me wrong, though. I liked being with you. And I’m sure, if sex had been the only reason, we’d still be together, because we would’ve found a way to make it work for both of us.”

They looked at each other and suddenly Yuriy had the urge to touch Kai. He always had loved that - hugging him, put his head on his shoulder and just feel his body, his warm skin.

Kai jolted him out of his thoughts. “So, if you really want to know why I think we broke up… It was our careers. You became this great artist and I had to excel in my studies - there was just no room for us. Even when we manage to meet up for a date, I never knew what I would get from you. And I started to wonder if it would just continue like this for forever. I didn’t want that kind of relationship.”

Yuriy nodded. “I thought I would miss something. You know that I haven’t been in many relationship before we got together. I just didn’t know what I wanted - or even what I liked.”

“I had the same feeling”, Kai said, looking away. “But honestly, I’m not sure if it was worth it. There are a lot of weird people out there - and that coming from me says something!”

“Amen”, Yuriy replied, and they shared a little laughter. But when he turned towards Kai again, Yuriy saw just a hint of sadness in his eyes; the same sadness that he felt, too.

“Well… seems like that last year really did something to us, right?”, Kai said.

“Yeah. Seems like it.”


	3. December

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally did it! I am so sorry I left you waiting for so long. And THANK YOU ALL for your sweet comments <3 I never thought this story would get comments at all...   
> Anywhooo - I cheated a bit with this chapter because I used a translation programme and then did the editing. It was still a lot of work but also the quicker thing to do. I hope you don't notice it too much while reading. Also there is no beta right now, just the pure, raw story lol.

> Skype. Now.<  
Takao’s message came on Tuesday. It had to be evening in Japan. Kai had just come home from university and, fairly, wouldn’t mind a little distraction, so he answered quickly: >Give me two minutes.<  
As always, it took a while for both sound and image to be of good quality, but then he could see Takao on the laptop screen. He was not alone, Hiromi was sitting by his side, and it was not quite clear to him whether Takao liked that or not. "Kai!" His former teammate shouted and instinctively he turned down the volume. "How are you, man?" Hiromi waved and he carelessly returned the gesture.   
"Pretty good, actually. What's going on? Sounded like an emergency.”  
"Well, you could call it that ..." growled Takao. He moved his eyebrows pretty wildly and Kai knew that this was his way of giving him a "covert" sign. It never worked. Hiromi, ignoring everything Takao was doing, clapped her hands on her thighs. "Okay Kai, I’m having enough with the rumours. I'm fed up with arguing with Takao. Who are you dating? ”  
To say he was surprised would be an understatement. "What?"  
Takao sighed and raised his hands. "I told you he didn't notice, Hiromi ..."  
"What the hell are you talking about?", Kai asked, raising his voice. Hiromi and Takao looked at each other, then Hiromi spoke up.   
"You posted this picture the other day", she said, "with the coffee cups?"  
"Yes, so what?"  
She looked confused. "But – You were on a date, weren’t you? You went out with a guy! Come on, Kai, everyone is talking about it.”  
"Because of one picture?", he asked. "Don’t you have better things to do?"  
She gave him an insulted look, and Takao tried his best to calm her. Kai sighed. "I am not dating anyone", he clarified, "that was ... a friend from university. Nothing else."  
Hiromi didn't seem to be too content with that, but Takao quickly managed to change the topic. "Ah well. By the way, I’m so looking forward to your visit!", he said, "You have to give me your flight details so that I can set everything up!"  
"Oh, right!", said Hiromi, "you're in Japan for Christmas! It will be so good, we absolutely have to go to Tokyo! ” Since he had left the country, they seemed to have forgotten that he knew exactly what Christmas traditions in Japan looked like. He already knew all the stuff they were going to do. But of course he would do whatever they planned for his visit - he had no choice anyway.  
"And bring your Dranzer with you!", said Takao, "I’m dying for a beybattle!"  
As soon as they had said goodbye, Kai received a completely different message from his friend: >What about Yuriy?<  
He couldn't answer. Since their conversation on Wednesday morning, he had been quite confused by his feelings. He still liked Yuriy, sure, but it slowly dawned on him that maybe he liked him more than he wanted to admit. And what about Yuriy? Sometimes he had the impression that his ex-boyfriend still had feelings for him. Could he just ask him? And what answer did he hope for?

It took a while for him to figure out what he was feeling. Over the last weeks and months, memories of their breakup had come back; not too frequently but often enough to make him remember the pain and loneliness. The hurt took him by surprise. He still missed Yuriy, and not just as a friend.   
He thought about him way too often. Read through their long chats and grinned foolishly at their light jokes. Remembered the feeling of what it was like to hug Yuriy, as was their habit lately, always a little longer than would be appropriate.  
On Friday he spontaneously went on a date. He had to distract himself. Someone from his seminar had asked him out and it just felt like the right thing to do. He needed distraction, no matter what. Everything else was just too complicated. Nevertheless, it ended up as just a nice evening. If anything, it only made things worse. Because now he knew that the thoughts of Yuriy would not just go away.   
They hadn't written much, which may have been due to Kai himself. He was afraid to slip into a flirt. And what would happen if Yuriy would respond to that? That wasn't really bad, was it? But what if the other would reject him? It would be worse than just the embarrassment of it all – whatever they’ve build up over the last months would be in pieces yet again.   
On Sunday he made a decision.  
At first he thought about calling him. But he was afraid that he would black out and be left with nothing but a senseless stutter. So he texted instead:  
> Hey,  
I hope I’m not making a huge mistake now, because talking to you again is the best thing that happened this year. But I cannot keep myself from thinking of you as more than just a friend. So, to make it short – do you want to go on a date sometime? <   
He hit send before he could change his mind. Then he put the phone away and looked for something, anything, to occupy himself. He didn't want to just sit around and wait for an answer.   
He had just gone into the kitchen to make tea when he heard the device vibrate. Fear trickled through him as he slowly walked back. Maybe it was all over now and Yuriy would write something like >Sorry, you're just a friend to me.< Maybe he wouldn't even want to see him anymore!  
Kai's fingers were cold when he unlocked the display. Then disappointment swept over him. It wasn't Yuriy, just a meaningless text in the university group chat. Yuriy had probably not read his message at all. In any case, Kai didn't want to imagine why he would read it and not answer.  
That happened a few more times: Even if Kai had just managed to distract himself, as soon as his phone vibrated, he just had to go and see who it was. When he realized how stressful that was, he just wanted to put the phone on silent, but then he would check every five minutes to see if something had happened. Never had he waited for a message so desperately.  
Whether he did it on purpose or not, Yuriy tortured him for two hours. Then, finally, the display showed his name. In the preview Kai could already see his answer, but he still unlocked the screen because he didn't want to believe it. His pulse quickened as he read:  
> Say when and where :) <

Shortly before Christmas, the city became noticeably emptier. Many Londoners went to the country or abroad on vacation. The malls were still overcrowded, of course, but you could clearly tell the difference, especially during rush hour.  
They met at Regent's Park, got a coffee to warm their hands, and strolled through Marylebone. Yuriy wanted to visit a certain bookstore that specialized in vintage coffee table books. There were a lot of other bookstores and small shops along the way, so they made quite a few stops.   
Even though they both counted it as a date, they did not seem to behave much differently than before. But that was just on the outside. In reality, they were both much more nervous to see the other. Back at home Kai had been very annoyed about the fact that many of his sweaters were a bit too big. He worried about looking like a big snowball with skinny legs, wearing his thick winter coat and scarf. Yuriy had been thinking about what to say to Kai all day long and then forgot every word as soon as he saw him. Needless to say that Kai looked gorgeous in his eyes. And Kai would not be able to recall what Yuriy was saying, because it didn't matter anyway. The tension between them evaporated during the first minutes and the coffee cups saved them from deciding whether or not to grab each other's hand.  
"Let me take another picture", Yuriy suggested a little later, pointing at their cups. "I’m slowly getting into these snapshots, maybe I'll turn it into a project." They held the cups up a little so that there were some Christmas lights in the background instead of the curb, and Yuriy took a quick snap with his phone. "Always at your service", Kai sighed theatrically, "But now you need another hashtag."   
Yuriy was already posting the picture. "Hm, how about ... Christmasblend ..."  
"... myass," added Kai.  
"Alright." He sent the post. "Do you think people will figure you are in the picture now?"  
"You can tag me."  
"Oh, let's wait a bit and see what's going to happen."  
There had never been a first date like this for them. They had known each other for most of their lives, and their relationship developed during the chaos that was their Beyblading careers. On top oft hat, their lives always had been overshadowed by their childhood in Moscow. Being together at least helped to leave that part of their past behind. However, it had never been enough to keep them together.  
In the past year they had learned the rules of dating: the caution that was required, but also the times at which all conventions were thrown overboard simply because you were in love. And yet everything was different with them, they couldn't start from scratch. Or could they?  
Eventually, they reached the shop and Yuriy found his book. They delved into a few other illustrated books by artists that were unknown tot hem but nevertheless entertaining.  
"What are you doing for Christmas?", Kai casually asked at some point and Yuriy shrugged. „Inverness, maybe", he said, "and you?"  
"Japan."  
"Oh wait, we've already talked about that." Kai nodded, indeed he had told Yuriy a few weeks ago. "I'm flying on Saturday, but I'll be back before New Years Eve", he said.  
"Yes, I wanted to come back to London a little sooner, too. A couple of friends invited me to a party.” Yuriy smiled at him. "Well, we could schedule our next date for when we’re both back in town."  
Kai returned the smile. "Smooth, Mr. Ivanov."  
"Is that a yes?"  
"That is a yes."  
A few minutes later, Kai received a message from Takao. > Dude, Hiromi is going crazy right now. Apparently Yuriy posted a photo or something?! Are you guys hanging out? I am not yet awake enough for so much drama!<  
>Go back to sleep. Let them wonder for a little bit<, Kai replied. But apparently Takao already got up, because the next message followed immediately: > She is on the phone, texting the other girls. You’ve made a lot of people really curious with your pictures, don't be surprised if there are any rumors that you don't want!< Kai didn’t respond to that; instead he just grinned.  
At some point they moved on and, when it was long dark and getting colder, they ended up at a subway station. Suddenly, Kai remembered that he had to go to Soho again, because he wanted to pick up a Beyblade part for Takao that was not available in Japan. So, confronted with a goodbye that seemed all too sudden, they looked at each other as they were standing at the entrance to the station.  
"That was nice", said Yuriy and Kai nodded. He would miss him during the hollidays, but in a different way now. It was a feeling of missing that hopefully would end soon. He hadn't expected to feel something like that again for Yuriy. At that moment it was as if he was seeing sides of his ex-boyfriend that hadn't been important to him before, that he was now learning to appreciate. It made him nervous, more so than before, as if getting to know a crush for the first time.   
"Well, then ... see you after Christmas", he said.  
"I'll take your word for it", Yuriy said, winking. Kai rolled his eyes and smiled, then they hugged each other.   
"Greetings to Takao and the others."  
"Will do. And you don't get melancholic in the dark north.”  
"I’m going to make up for all my sleep deprivation. It’ll be awesome."  
Then everything was said. Yuriy descended the stairs to the subway and Kai turned to walk in the opposite direction. He tried to concentrate on the fact that he had to find the right bus to Soho now. But he didn’t made it too far. After just a few steps, he paused. "Oh for God’s sake", he murmured, whirling around. "Yuriy!"  
The redhead must have heard his call because he was still standing on the stairs, looking at him in surprise. Kai made his way down to him, and before Yuriy could say anything, he kissed him.  
They had almost forgotten what it was like to kiss each other. Their lips were cold and it was awkward to stand on the stairs, but then Kai climbed up one step without interrupting what they were doing. The world around moved on, but completely disappeared for them. They didn't know how much time had passed when they parted, but it was certainly longer than they thought.  
"And now you just want to leave the country?", Yuriy asked.  
"I’ll text you, I promise", said Kai. A lightness spread through him that would surely cause some kind of sweet insomnia later. "And maybe I'll post stupid coffee pictures on your profile."  
"Can’t wait for this to happen."  
Then they both really headed their respective directions. It was impossible for Yuriy not to look back, so he turned again when he got to the bottom of the stairs - only to see Kai doing the same. They smiled at each other, both slightly embarrassed, then Kai waved briefly and disappeared in the crowd. 

What you didn't notice when texting, calling or even using Skype was that Takao had grown quite a bit. It was unusual for Kai, having him at eye level, especially since his former rival developped the right shoulder width to go with his height. Takao pulled him into a tight hug, just as he had learned from Max, and repeated over and over how happy he was to see him again.  
First they made a stop at the ramen restaurant that Manabu's parents run. Hiromi also arrived, and although she certainly intended questioning Kai about Yuriy's photos, Takao very successfully distracted her. Instead, Manabu and Takao reported what the WBBA was doing and who the new Beyblade stars were.  
"Oh wait, we have to take a selfie!", Hiromi called at some point. Kai couldn’t keep her from tagging him before she uploaded it. Shortly afterwards, Rei sent a message to their group chat, because the photo had just appeared on his timeline. Attached was an image of Mao, on which one could already see her growing belly. However, she looked a little miserable and they were sure that Rei would get into trouble for this.  
When Kai was finally able to lie down on his futon next to Takao, he was pretty exhausted. He was awake for over twenty-four hours now and just wanted to sleep.  
"Kai?", asked Takao. He grunted.  
"You never told me what was going on between you and Yuriy." He heard Takao turn and felt his eyes on him. "You don't have to tell me anything either. But I’m not blind, you know. Haven't seen you so relaxed in a long time. ” It was scary how well the other knew him by now. It used to be easy for Kai to be a book with seven seals for him. Those days were long gone.  
"And I've never seen you so tame with Hiromi," he finally replied and smiled when Takao let out a huff. "You're just imagining that!"  
The next morning, Kai sat in Takao's kitchen with a cup of tea and checked Facebook. A smile spread across his face when he saw that Yuriy had commented on yesterday's selfie. Then he almost choked, because the comment only consisted of: <3\. He clicked to type in an answer, but paused again. If he did that now, Hiromi would not leave him alone until she knew everything she wanted to know. On the other hand ...   
He shrugged and typed: ; * 

In Inverness Yuriy stayed in a bed-and-breakfast run by an elderly couple. The bathroom was tiny enough to fit in a closet and the bed took up almost the whole room. Breakfast was served in the couple's living room, which had lots of upholstery, carpet and, lace doilies. Behind the glazed bay window was a small front yard, which seemed somewhat barren in winter, and the quiet street. Hardly anyone came by and his hosts were reluctant to leave the apartment as well. By the second day they enjoyed each other’s company so much that they all had breakfast together. His hosts were as quiet as Yuriy, but he noticed that they were happy about guests nevertheless. Out of courtesy, he asked why they were renting out over Christmas and it turned out that their daughter was abroad so they didn’t feel the need to throw a big Christmas party.  
He couldn't help working in his free time, so he put a few ideas on paper here and there, mostly just quick ideas. Apart from that he walked through the city almost every day and enjoyed his empty schedule.  
At some point Inés texted and asked if he would come to their mutual friend’s party on New Year's Eve. She also wanted to bring her new date with her.  
>No problem<, he answered, > I probably won't come alone, either. <

Boris called on the 25th. "Merry Gregorian Christmas, comrade, what's going on with you and Kai?"  
Yuriy, who sat in the living room alone, leaned back on the soft couch. "What does it look like to you?"  
"It looks like I have to deal with him again because you two asshats made up", said Boris. "Do I have to understand that?"  
"A blessed Holliday to you, too", Yuriy said teasingly. Boris never was as upset as it seemed. On the contrary: Yuriy would’ve taken any bet that his best friend secretly was happy about being able to piss Kai off on the regular, again.   
"Damn it, Yura", said Boris, "are you sure you know what you’re doing?"  
"I was never sure. Not even the first time“, he admitted. But it hadn't bothered him even then.

> I landed. Immigration is slow.<

> Welcome back! I am looking at a house right now.<

> Send photos !!! Area? Price? I can tell if it’s a good deal, if you need help.<

> I don't think that's necessary. It's a little too big. <

> Can't do much harm to check the numbers. <

> Alright. Anyway - Do you want to come to the New Year's party? <

> Okay. But I hope I can see you a bit earlier than that :P <

> Yes, please! Pizza tomorrow?<

> You know me so well :) <

The New Year's Eve party took place in a fairly large apartment in the city center. It was apparent that the hosts had money. Kai knew them briefly. They had been Yuriy’s clients about two years ago and had helped him to expand his customer base through recommendations. So they all had become mutuals. The other guests were a pleasant mix, a few artists, a few models, a few business people. Kai exchanged a meaningful look with Yuriy when they stood at the entrance: they would definitely need a drink or two to make it through the night. Fortunately, they each brought Champagne as a guest gift, but they were pretty sure they could swap their bottles for something stronger easily. There were enough drinks in the kitchen.  
While Yuriy got caught in a conversation, Kai organised some drinks. In the kitchen he ran into Inés. He almost didn't recognize her because she had changed her hairstyle. "Hey!", she said, "Long time no see!"  
"How's it going?", he asked. At that moment a man came out of nowhere and wrapped an arm around Inés. He was shorter than her. His hair was very thick and dark, as was his well-groomed beard. "This is Arjun", said Inés and Kai gave him a short nod. "Are you here with Yuriy?"  
"Well, yes."  
Inés gave him a knowing look while Arjun kissed her temple and obviously wanted to drag her back to the other room. "Well, I'm pretty sure I‘ll run into him at some point. Have a nice evening!" Then they both disappeared. Kai looked for glasses for a while and, when he didn't find any, simply took one of the champagne bottles back to Yuriy.  
He found him in the living room. "Inés is here", he said, but Yuriy just nodded. "I know. She brought her new date. Cheers." He took the first sip.  
Two hours later, they were already quite tipsy. At some point they got into a discussion with the hostess, who at the same time uploaded the first party pictures on Facebook, as well as tagged everyone in them. Yuriy also fell victim to her, and she basically forced him to unlock the pictures on his profile. He was drunk enough to just do what she said. Kai on the other hand felt lucky because he wasn't friends with her. He casually leaned against Yuriy and watched what they were doing from a somewhat safe distance. While Yuriy was on Facebook, messages that all contained some form of „Happy New Year“ kept popping up on his display. It was tiring.  
"From now on, it will only get more and more annoying", Yuriy said when the hostess was finally satisfied and moved on. Instead of giving an answer, Kai yawned. There had been years when he welcomed New Year's hustle and bustle, but today it was a little too much for him. "Do you want to leave?", he asked. Yuriy shrugged.  
"We could go to my place. Is closer", Kai suggested," I can also steal more Champagne, if you want.“   
A few minutes later they left. As soon as they were standing on the street, they opened the (pretty expensive) bottle that Kai had stolen. The first third of the drink went up in a foaming fountain, splashing down on the pavement. "Happy New Year!", commented Yuriy.  
The new year really started when they were on the subway. Someone in the waggon counted down the seconds and a few people started cheering and clapping. Kai and Yuriy gave each other an amused look, followed by a long kiss.

Yuriy woke up fully dressed. Kai was lying next to him, they hadn't even pulled the covers over themselves. It was light outside, but the sky looked pretty gray. It took him a few minutes to reconstruct the end of the last evening. After they got here, nothing much happened, just a few drinks and kisses, and then they fell into bed. Kai's face was buried in the pillow, he took long, deep breaths and seemed far from waking up. In the past, Yuriy usually had been the one who got up first and started making coffee - although Kai’s coffee was much better.  
Careful not to wake the other one up, Yuriy turned around and found his cell phone on the bedside table. The battery was almost empty. He had a lot of New Year's messages in his inbox and a fairly substantial number of notifications on Facebook. He frowned. Did he post anything embarrassing ...?  
Last night‘s party pictures came to his mind and he instantly regretted having released them on his profile yesterday, drunk as he was. He hadn't even really seen what was on them. He quickly skipped through the file. Right, he had been forced to pose for group pictures with acquaintances, and on other pictures he was somewhere in the background, which was fine. But of course there also was a picture of him and Kai. Oops. It was not fully clear, but it seemed pretty obvious that they had come to the party together, and if one wanted to read their body language romantically, one certainly would find enough clues: in the photo, they were facing each other and were very deep in conversation. They smiled at each other. They held glasses in their hands and Kai moved his free left as if he wanted to touch Yuriy's chest or shoulder.  
Admittedly, they were still a pretty couple.  
Some rather harmless comments already showed up underneath the photo:

> Guess who's back, back again, Neo Borg's back, tell a friend. <  
> @Max Oh God ... <

> Neo Borg is back? Oooooh shiiiiit D: <  
> @Michael same! Happy New Year from Team Baihuzu to you guys ;) <

> Best! Thing! Ever! I’m counting on you guys for the Japanese Championships !!! <  
> @Takao the registrations are not even open yet!<  
> @Manabu I am planning this in advance!!! <

> YURIY WHAT ABOUT OUR BORG 0 ??? I am your day team partner :'(<  
> You’re making @Boris cry, boss. <  
> @Yuriy @Ivan T_T <

Yuriy didn't believe for one second that Boris really thought they would want to revive their old team. He just played along. In fact, there was a completely different message from his best friend in his chats: >Now would be a good time to admit what’s going on between you two, don’t you think?<  
Yuriy grinned. Actually, it was really funny reading all this. Perhaps they should sprinkle a few more clues here and there and wait to see how long it would take the others to put two and two together.

When February came to an end the temperatures started to rise. Things went back to normal. Yuriy still sat in the Café on Thursdays, and Kai still came in later to give him company. Sometimes they stayed there for a while, sometimes they had other plans and moved on. Sometimes they both went home on their own. Sometimes together. Not only did they meet on Thursdays, it usually happened two or three times a week, or they spent the weekend together. If they were in the mood for it, they had sex.  
It was a good thing. For the moment.  
Most of her friends and acquaintances finally had noticed what was going on. However, many were surprised that Yuriy and Kai did not officially start dating again. Of course there were the small, flirty comment that they regularly left on each other’s profiles, as well as rows of more or less meaningful emojis. Very rarely did they post pictures of themselves, and if they did, it always triggered a small flood of curious questions.

"Take a look at this", Yuriy asked when Kai sat down next to him and put his coffee cup between the piles of paper on the table. He turned his laptop around and showed him the portfolio of a small house in a London suburb. Kai leaned forward. "It's pretty far out, but the price is okay if you ask me."  
"I think so too", said Yuriy, "I could take a few walls out on the lower floor, then there would be enough space for the studio. And an open kitchen, which is not too bad. The bedroom, bathroom and an additional room are upstairs. And it also has a small garden. ”  
Kai nodded. "You should take a closer look at that", he said. Yuriy smiled contentedly and took back the laptop to shut it down. Then he started tidying up his papers.  
"Hey", Kai started while he was watching him, "Do you think we should change our relationship status at some point?"  
"Our what?", Yuriy asked absentmindly.  
"Relationship status. On Facebook."  
He paused and looked at Kai. "Do you want that?"  
"Hm. I don't know", said Kai," That's why I'm asking you. "  
Yuriy paused to think about that. Generally, he didn't mind. He actually really wanted to make it official, because simply put – he was in love with Kai. On the other hand, there were so many expectations associated with this status. Sure, at the moment everyone had their theories about what was going on between them. But how they actually acted towards each other was entirely up to them. And somehow that took lots of pressure off them.  
Yuriy shrugged. "I think I would wait." He smiled at Kai and the other returned the gesture.   
"Agreed," he said.


End file.
